The details of the Towada Oirase Art Festival, scheduled for this fall, have been announced. A press conference was held on the 2nd at 3331 Arts Chiyoda in Suehirocho, Tokyo, attended by Towada City Mayor Hisashi Oyamada, chairman of the event's executive committee, artistic director Hiroshi Fuji, and participating artists. The festival's title has been decided as "SURVIVE." Fuji, deputy director and artist of the Towada Art Center, explained, "We wanted to create an art festival where something is born and grows in Towada Oirase. During the festival, not only visual artists but also a wide range of artists from across genres will participate, exploring what kind of expression is possible in the Towada Oirase region." As an example of the project, it was announced that three artists—Sen Ishida, Erika Kobayashi, and Masashi Ono—are currently creating a collection of stories based on the history and nature of the region. The works are also planned to be published as a book, with photography by Naoya Hatakeyama and editorial direction by Yuki Kageyama. Curators Keisuke Ozawa and Hiroyuki Hattori explained the contents of the exhibition. The entire region is treated as a single stage, with the main venues being the Towada Art Center, the fisheries resort, and the Lake Towada sightseeing boat. The museum will feature contemporary art pieces expressing "time," including paintings, photographs, and video installations. Works such as Marcus Coates's bird song motif and Ragnar Kjartansson's video of a performance in a snowy field will connect the museum with the surrounding nature. At the fisheries resort, formerly used as a hotel, sound artist Tetsuya Umeda and the five-person performance group Contact Gonzo, along with Lieko Shiga, are renovating the building itself into an artwork. Additionally, a musical experience aboard a sightseeing boat is planned on Lake Towada. Participating artist Aiko Miyanaga also introduced the sound installations planned for the exhibition. Miyanaga mixed the glaze himself for this piece. He created a piece that allows viewers to enjoy the sound of the "crazing" (crack-like patterns) that develops on the surface of the ceramic as it changes. "It's a piece to be appreciated not just by looking at it, but by listening carefully. It's a sound like a shooting star, and it's hard to describe in words, so I hope everyone will come to Towada and listen carefully," Miyanaga said. Nara Yoshitomo has announced his first music festival production. "Rather than a typical music festival, I want to create an event where everyone gathers in a circle around a fire at a campsite, creating a sense of unity. It's an enveloping atmosphere, and you can take something home with you, like a lullaby," he said. Otomo Yoshihide and YOK have already confirmed their participation.
[Event Information]
Towada Oirase Art Festival
Venue 1: Towada Art Center, etc.
Venue 2: Fisheries Resort (formerly Oirase Hot Spring Inn), Hoshino Resort Oirase Keiryu Hotel, Oirase Keiryukan Museum, Lake Towada Pleasure Boat, etc.
Period: September 21st to November 24th
Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday)
Venue hours: Venue 1 9:00 to 17:00, Venue 2 10:00 to 16:00 (last admission at both venues 30 minutes before closing)
Admission fee: Set ticket 2,000 yen (planned), tickets for each venue will also be on sale, free for high school students and younger
Participating artists: Ishida Sen*, Umeda Tetsuya, Okamoto Taro, Ono Masashi*, Marcus Coates, Kobayashi Erika*, contact Gonzo, Shiga Rieko, Shimura Nobuhiro, Shibata Kenji, Suga Keijiro*, Takayama Akira (Port B), Takeda Shinpei, Nara Yoshitomo (special cooperation), Hatakeyama Naoya*, mamoru, Miyanaga Aiko, Yamamoto Shuji, and others (artists with an asterisk are participating in the story collection)
